2BR

Head of Chambers: Brian Altman KC and Christine Agnew KC

Senior Clerk: Paul Rodgers

Deputy Clerk: Graham Briggs

Tenants: 79

THE CHAMBERS Clients benefit from the knowledge, expertise and support of one of the country’s leading criminal and regulatory sets. Committed to all aspects of criminal and regulatory law, Chambers advises and represents clients in a wide variety of proceedings and investigations, from high profile fraud and murder cases, to health and safety and professional disciplinary proceedings.

Members continue to appear in International Criminal Courts in The Hague, the ECHR, Privy Council, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Administrative Court and all courts and tribunals of first instance, as well as public inquiries and inquests. Chambers continues to have a high volume of international work and members are often instructed and appear in significant cases around the globe. Chambers serves a variety of clients, spanning national governments, international companies, local authorities and other public bodies, legal panels, regulators, trade unions, corporations and directors and professional and sporting authorities, and individuals. Chambers calls upon the combined expertise of 19 KC’s and 59 juniors including a former First Senior Treasury Counsel, standing counsel to the Health and Safety Executive, and a number of recorders. 2BR has provided two Chairs of the Bar Council and two Chairs of the CBA. Supporting them is a clerking team recognised as one of the best in the country.

WORK UNDERTAKEN

Crime: As one of the acknowledged ‘magic circle’ criminal sets, 2BR has an outstanding track record in high profile trials, including corporate crime, terrorism and war crimes. Examples of high profile cases, in which our members prosecuted or defended, include Axel Radakubana (the Southport killer), Wayne Couzens (murder of Sarah Everard), Ali Harbi Ali (the murder of David Ames MP), the Post Office ‘Horizon' appeals, the News International Phone Hacking trial, the MPs expenses prosecutions, Bowes and others (killing of PC Andrew Harper), Beinash Batool (the murder of Sara Sharif), Luke D’Wit (the fentanyl double murderer), Dr Peter Brooks (the plastic surgeon who tried to kill a colleague by arson and stabbing), Michael Stone, Colin Stagg, Levi Bellfield (murders of Milly Dowler and two other women), the Stephen Lawrence murder, Kenneth Noye (M25 murder), Russell Bishop (the ‘Babes in the Wood’ murders), Barry George, Vincent Tabak, Sgt Danny Nightingale, Rolf Harris, Kevin Spacey, Ched Evans, and Corporal Lee Clegg.

Fraud: With an exceptional record for fraud and financial crime (including bribery and corruption), representing both corporate clients and individuals including high net worth individuals, members of Chambers have advised on or appeared in many of the highest profile cases, such as the Post Office ‘Horizon’ appeals, HBOS, Libor, Euribor, Rolls Royce, Barclay’s Bank, BAE, Innospec, iSpoof, Imperial Consolidated, Pharmaceuticals, JJB Sports, Op. Condor, the Jubilee line fraud, Asil Nadir, Torex, Brent Walker, Butte Mining, WSTC, Cheney Pensions, Izodia pic, iSoft, Robinsons, Glaxo, and Unaoil. Members advise on investigations globally and have vast experience in multi-jurisdictional, very high value (multi-million pound) investigations (often relating to corporate clients and high net worth individuals) and international crypto currency cases. Members have advised all over the world on sanctions issues and have up to date experience of all current and historic sanctions regimes.

Health and safety: Members of this team offer an unparalleled combination of experience in the field of Health & Safety law and practice, together with a formidable reputation for first-class criminal advocacy. Chambers’ health and safety team offers deep expertise across an ever-expanding range of sectors including the leisure, residential, retail, construction, manufacturing, agricultural, real estate, hospitality, healthcare, aviation, transport, recycling, entertainment, tech, oil and gas and nuclear industries. The team has been involved in all the UK’s major health and safety cases of the past few years, acting for both the defence and prosecution, and for interested parties in inquests, and inquiries. Recent cases in which members have appeared successfully include the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster, the Hatfield and Potters Bar rail disasters, Buncefield, and Grenfell.

Our highly specialist barristers advise employers, companies, company directors, individuals and public bodies including Local Authorities on all aspects of health and safety enforcement, and at every stage of proceedings.

Professional and disciplinary tribunals: Over the years, members have developed an intuitive understanding of how professional bodies think, which allows them to tailor their advocacy for the greatest effect. 2BR regularly represents professionals before the GMC, GDC, GOC, NMC and SDT among others, as well as acting for professional bodies themselves.

Financial services regulation: The team has considerable experience in SFO, FCA, and Revenue & Customs investigations, Libor & Euribor cases, VAT Tribunals, prosecutions and appeals.

Inquests and public inquiries: The regulatory group assists clients (corporates and individuals) before coroners’ inquests and in public inquiries, providing sensitive, high quality advice and representation. Examples of public inquiries include: Grenfell Tower; the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA); The Afghan inquiry; undercover policing: Mark Duggan; The Turks and Caicos Corruption Inquiry; De Menezes; Lakanal fire; Shipman; Post Office Horizon IT; Climbié; Lawrence; Ashwood Hospital; Brook House and the Covid Inquiry. Members are also involved in non-statutory reviews.

Sports law: Members also frequently appear before professional sporting tribunals including The Court of Arbitration for Sport. They appear in all sports in the full range of disciplinary matters including doping, but particularly in football, rugby and cricket, and represent many Premiership clubs, Regulators (including the Sport Resolutions Panel), the Football Association and individual players both in the UK and abroad.

International work including economic sanctions: Members have undertaken work in the US, Cayman Islands, Middle East, Russia, Africa, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and most of mainland Europe and other Caribbean jurisdictions – for UK and non-UK nationals and including high net worth individuals. Members also have particular experience in targeted financial sanctions cases. Members can work in Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Krio (Sierra Leone), Russian and Serbo-Croat.

For more details please visit www.2br.co.uk